Democrats don't have much to be encouraged about these days, what with all the smart money saying that it's all but certain that the House is in its last few months under Speaker Nancy Pelosi's management.

So they have to take their encouragement where they find it and one of the few positive glimmers for them comes from the Mountain West, Colorado to be exact.

That's where the Republican gubernatorial nominee, businessman Dan Maes, who had the backing of the Tea Party movement now has apparently lost it after a series of mistakes.

The most recent was that he backed away from a statement that as a policeman 25 years ago he worked undercover for the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

“After speaking with, and hearing from, numerous Coloradans – from former Senators to family farmers – I’ve determined that I cannot turn my back on the 200,000 voters who nominated me to run for this office,” said Maes. “During this time of deliberation, I listened equally to those who wanted me in this race and those who did not, and after internalizing that advice, I’m proud to say I’m in it to win it.

That was no doubt music to the ears of supporters of Denver's popular Mayor John Hickenlooper, the Democratic nominee for governor. They can also draw hope from the continued presence in the race of former congressman Tom Tancredo, the nominee of the American Constitution Party who, with Maes, promises to split the anti-Democratic vote.